Montessori-Inspired Ambulance Activities Using Free Printables

By Deb Chitwood from Living Montessori Now  

A community helper theme is especially great at the beginning of the school year. You could do a big community helper unit study or focus on one career at a time. 

Whichever way you organize your unit, medical workers would be a natural part of it. And, for many children, an ambulance is a high-interest part of the medical community. 

I shared a list of free ambulance printables in my post today at Living Montessori Now. Here, I'm sharing some Montessori-inspired ambulance activities using free printables for preschoolers through first graders. You'll find many activities for preschoolers through first graders throughout the year along with presentation ideas in my previous posts at PreK + K Sharing. 

You'll also find ideas for using free printables to create activity trays here: How to Use Printables to Create Montessori-Inspired Activities. At Living Montessori Now, I have a post with resource links of Free Printables for Montessori Homeschools and Preschools. 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you. 

Ambulance Lacing Activity

Free Printable: Ambulance Lacing from Zoomin' Movin' Alphabet Letter Aa at Royal Baloo 

The tray is a Multicraft tray. This activity just requires printing out, laminating, and cutting out the ambulance; punching holes around the ambulance; and using tape to create an end on a piece of yarn for lacing. Older children could use yarn threaded through a needle. 

"Dial 911" Song  

 

Free Printable: “Dial 911″ Song from DLTK’s Crafts for Kids 

The "Dial 911" song is a fun way for young children to learn about calling 911. I would definitely include this song as part of a community helper unit study. 

I would use this printable for a tabletop or shelf display that's part of the medical or community helper theme. I simply printed it out, laminated it, and added it to a tabletop easel. 

Ambulance Cards and Counters

Free Printable: Numberline – Police and Ambulance Theme from City Teacher Goes Country at Teachers Pay Teachers

This is a cute printable for placing numbered ambulances in order from 1-10. I used the printables as number cards for Montessori-inspired cards and counters with an ambulance theme.

I used 55 red glass gems for counters and a glass candle coaster to hold the counters. 

 

I used a Montessori Services rug for my layout. I like to lay out my numbers and counters in the traditional Montessori layout of rows of two counters with a left-over counter centered below the bottom row. This gives a visual impression of odd and even. 

For more about creating DIY numbers and counters and a link on how to present the lesson, check out my DIY Cards and Counters post. 

Aa is for Ambulance Activity  

Free Printable: Aa is for Ambulance Do-a-Dot Printable from Zoomin’ Movin’ Alphabet Letter Aa at Royal Baloo 

I used a large plastic tray from Montessori Services. I placed only the number of glass gems in the dish that are needed to complete the activity for a control of error. 

I also added quick sticks from Montessori Services to include a fun fine-motor activity. I sometimes use a sugar tong from Montessori Services instead of the quick sticks. 

3-D Paper Craft Ambulance

Free Printable: 3-D Paper Craft Ambulance from The Home School Zone This is an advanced cutting activity and fun craft that would work well for kindergarteners through elementary-level children. 

Elementary-level children might like to make the ambulance for a younger sibling. I used Fiskar kids' scissors.

Here's the link to my favorite laminator ... inexpensive and great for almost any activity that needs to be laminated!

More Free Ambulance Printables and Montessori-Inspired Ambulance Activities

Go to my post at Living Montessori Now for links to ambulance freebies from around the blogosphere: Free Ambulance Printables and Montessori-Inspired Ambulance Activities.

You'll find more ambulance activities and ideas in these Living Montessori Now resources: 

• Talking with Children about 9/11 – Ideas and Activities 
• Free Police Printables and Montessori-Inspired Police Activities 
• Community Helpers Activity Trays and Sensory Tubs 
• Free Fire Safety Printables and Montessori-Inspired Fire Safety Activitie
• Community Helpers Pinterest Board

If you'd like to focus on manners with children, please check out my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to Teach Grace and Courtesy! It's written for anyone who'd like to feel comfortable teaching manners to children ages 2-12. I'm also one of the coauthors of the book Learn with Play – 150+ Activities for Year-round Fun & Learning!

Have a happy new school year!

Deb Chitwood is a certified Montessori teacher with a master’s degree in Early Childhood Studies from Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England. Deb taught in Montessori schools in Iowa and Arizona before becoming owner/director/teacher of her own Montessori school in South Dakota. Later, she homeschooled her two children through high school. Deb is now a Montessori writer who lives in San Diego with her husband of 40 years (and lives in the city where her kids, kids-in-law, and toddler granddaughter live). She blogs at Living Montessori Now.

4 Things to Help Children Dream BIG!

I watched my grandparents work every day of their lives, doing what they became good at and because it paid the bills. Whenever I tried to talk to them about what it might be like to do the work they REALLY loved, they would tell me that was what hobbies were for; a outlet for what you loved to do.

During his prime, my grandfather was a carpenter and

worked for a hard-to-please boss on a crew that built houses. When he wasn't slaving away for that task master, he loved to work in his basement workshop, being creative with wood. Of the many things he made by hand, the most beautiful were the hand carved ships wheels. He only made them for those he was close to and he never accepted money for them. I feel fortunate that I have one of those huge wheels mounted on the wall of my office and I think of him every time I look at it.

What do you dream of doing if you didn't have to go to work each day to make your living? Is there something that you love to do and wish you could do it full time? Have you already found it and spend your leisure time working on? Wouldn't you want your children to find that one thing they feel most passionate about and do it full time? Here are four things you can begin doing immediately as a parent to help your child DREAM BIG.

Let them explore. Encourage your children to try new things by giving them opportunities to try them out. Avoid putting pressure on them to succeed and focus more on the experience of different activities.

Speak of abundance and avoid scarcity. You want your children to know that anyone can do anything they put their minds to. Avoid mentioning that your family doesn't have the means, supplies or money to do things. Allow them to help you come up with ideas for doing the things they love to do.

Create a vision board or dream book. Purchase composition books for yourself and your children and have them draw pictures in the book that represent what they want to acquire or experience. Allow them to cut out pictures from old magazines to paste into their dream book. Teach them to add a new entry in images or text whenever they have a thought about something they dream of.

Find movies and books that illustrate someone who dreamed big. Watch movies with your children or read books to them in which the main characters dreamed big and made it all happen. You want them to know that anything is possible if you dream it, think about it, illustrate it and see it often enough.

They say that those who dream big and then follow those dreams will live longer, live happier, and attract healthy, supportive people into their lives. What parent wouldn't want this for their children? Now you know what it takes to help your child begin their journey toward dreaming big!

Bill Corbett has a degree in clinical psychology and has been chosen to deliver the keynote address at a large education conference in Holland this Fall.  He is happily married with three grown children, three grandchildren, and three step children, and resides in Connecticut.  You can visit his Web site http://billcorbett.com for further information.

www.prekandksharing.blogspot.com

www.prekandksharing.blogspot.com

Can Music Get Children to Eat Well?

     Maybe you started reading this because that title is a little abby-normal.  It is; and, if it got your attention, Yay!  Can music get Children to eat well?  Yes, in a couple of ways.  Let's explore....

Although this is about being positive to keep your immune system strong, it also states that we DO react to lyrics.   When we sing about eating good food, children process that and remember it.  They go home and talk about.  It becomes part of their value system.   And we have to do it more than once.   It takes 1200 times of hearing or doing something for a child to completely learn a concept.

     We need a lot of good songs about food!  Try Peter Alsop's song "Apple Juice".

Songs for Teaching has a whole page for food songs!

     I think I've made the point.  Now, I'd like to introduce you to "The Smart Woman"

She is smart because she eats from all her food groups!

Here is what I do.  We talk about all the foods she could eat.  Each child gets a food they can feed to her.  We sing the song and the child puts the food in her mouth when that food is sung about.  They love feeding her.  (OK.  I will admit this to you.  Occassionally, I've been known to have her burp.  It does make them giggle!  And, I do say "Excuse me".)

Here is a picture of me using the doll with a class of 2 yr olds.  I start young.  (1200 times etc etc)  By the time they are four, they should have this!


You can purchase the doll.  OR ~ ~ you can make your own!
I saw someone use a clear plastic bag so the children can see what is going into the stomach.  Then, she pointed to each food when the song recapped.

Here are the lyrics.
It is sung to the tune of "I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

I know a smart woman, when her day began

She ate cereal that had some bran. 

She’s a healthy woman

I know a smart woman, who ate some fruit

Like peaches, bananas & berries (they’re cute)

She ate the fruit to go with the bran,

That she ate when her day began.

She’s a healthy woman.

I know a smart woman who ate some cheese

Oh jeez!  She ate some cheese. She ate some cheese... (repeat all)

I know a smart woman who drank some milk

Or soy silk, but she drank milk. She drank some milk to go with the cheese.. (repeat all)

I know a smart woman and veggies she ate

The more on her plate,

The more veggies she ate.  She ate the veggies to... (repeat all)

I know a smart woman

Who ate meat that was lean

And fish, chicken or tofu for good protein.  She ate protein to... (repeat all)

I know a smart woman who ate what was good

From each food group as she should….(repeat all)

On my newest CD - "Mr. Froggy's Fitness Fun" - I have a new version of this - Are you ready?  "The Smart Woman Merengue".  Yup.  It can be even more fun by adding a movement to each food group.  Que bueno!

If you'd like signs for each food group, click on Food Signs and download them for FREE from my website.  I use these for "Dance for the Food Groups".  which you can have FREE through the weekend.  Download now.  The deal goes away on Monday.

Buon appetito!  ¡buen provecho! Lekker eet!  Afiyet olsun!

Repurposing Binder Clips

It's Scott from Brick by Brick. I love to repurpose materials—use materials in ways different from their intended purpose.

One of my favorite places to find items to repurpose is the office supply store (or the office supply section of your favorite discount store). Here are a few ideas for repurposing a favorite office item - binder clips.

Game Pieces - Use binder clips to make stand-up game pieces. This one uses a picture card. But you could use anything that could clip in the binder clip. Use photographs of your kids. Use index cards on which kids have printed their names or drawn pictures. Use letters or shapes from bulletin board sets. You can use anything. Clip it in the binder clip and stand on the table or gameboard. 

Or stick a colored sticker on the binder clip or buy a set of colored binder clips and use the clips themselves for game pieces.

Book Binding - Use binder clips to attach pages together in a homemade book. Kids could draw pictures and/or write words on sheets of paper or cards. Clip the pages together and turn the pages. 

This book is made from food labels. Cut labels from boxes or cans and tape the labels onto index cards. Clip the cards together. (Use logos that are familiar to kids. They can "read" this book because it uses environmental print, print they recognize.)

Homemade Clipboard - Use a piece of cardboard and a binder clip to make a homemade clipboard. Stack paper and align with the cardboard. Clip on the binder clip. Kids now have a portable "desk" to write or draw.

Mailbox Labels - I purchased these mailboxes for my classroom. I wanted to label each slot with a kid's name. But I wanted to be able to change the names or reuse the mailboxes from class to class. I clipped binder clips to the bottom of the slots and attached a small label with the kids' names. These worked great! I was able to remove a clip or add a clip when kids came or went. And, I could remove the label and put on a clean one to reuse the clip, too.

Other Ideas:

• You could also use the binder clips as counters or other manipulatives. 
• Add the clips to an activity that allows kids to practice pinching to open the clips. (Great for fine motor development) 
• Hang the clips on pushpins to make easily changeable wall displays. 
• Or just clip papers together, as the binder clips were designed to do.

What ways could you use these in your classroom?

TRANSITIONS: UNSUNG HEROES OF THE MUSICAL CLASSROOM

Ms. Brigid here, from Merit School of Music  in Chicago. Thank you for joining me. On a hot summer night in Chicago – and we’re having a lot of them all of a sudden – I met with a group of Pre-K teachers to conduct a workshop on  “Musical Building Blocks” focusing on elements and techniques for successfully integrating music into the classroom and circle time. We discussed fast and slow, high and low, piano and forte, sound and no sound, stopping and starting, how to teach a song and sing a book. Woven throughout were transition chants and songs to facilitate movement and change levels from sitting to standing. Here are a few of my favorites. Please share yours below in "Comments" or email them directly to me (gardengoddess1@comcast.net). I will post them to our community so we can all benefit!

Down Is the Earth (chant)

Down is the earth.                    (Drum the floor)

 Up is the sky.                            (Fling arms up in air, above head. Voice rises) 

Here are my friends,                  (Both hands gesture to friends on either side)

And here am I.                           (Both hands touch chest)

I found this chant on one of my down the rabbit hole internet searches, purely by accident, and have not as yet been able to track down the provenance. Thank you to whomever penned it! My 2-3s and 3-5 year old children loved this from the beginning of the  year to the end. It’s extremely flexible – and can be performed sitting or standing. Use of comparatives (high/low, piano/forte, etc.) are especially effective. When children are comfortable, try the chant using opposite movements, e.g. standing and reaching up to the sky while chanting "down is the earth," etc.

*A chant merely means that the words are spoken, not sung.

Two Little Hands (chant)

Two little hands go clap, clap, clap. (Clap hands simultaneously with “clap”)

Two little feet go tap, tap, tap. (Stamp feet – more fun than tapping!)

One little body turns around. (Turn body around one time)

 Everyone here sits right down. (Everyone sits down)

The rhythm and rhyming words make this a fun and easy group activity to move from high to low, or standing to sitting. Eventually, my kiddos “audiate” the chant, i.e., they hide the words in their heads and perform the motions, all together, entirely in silence. Silent round of applause! Many of you may be familiar with some version of this rhyme that uses “one little child turns around.” I changed it after the umpteenth child – over many years – rightfully pointed out that I was not a child.

Everybody Have a Seat 

Piggyback tune: Shortnin’ Bread

Everybody have a seat, have a seat, have a seat,

Everybody have a seat on the floor.

Not on the ceiling, not on the door,

Everybody have a seat on the floor.

Everybody have a seat, have a seat, have a seat,

Everybody have a seat on your chair.

Not on the ceiling, not on the stair,

Everybody have a seat on your chair.

A favorite with both children and teachers, this is a great way to get from high to low, from standing to seated. Encourage other rhyming pairs – the sillier the better.

Some ideas: Everybody have a seat… on the rug. Not on a ___, not on a bug,… or

Everybody have a seat…at the circle. Not at a ___, no at a birkel,… and etc. This chant can also be used to line kiddos up at the end of the day (Everybody line up… at the door) – really, there are no limits to the way it can be used. Pre-K and K teachers are the champions of creative “piggybacking” – adapting words to known melodies for their own purposes!        

Tall As A Tree (chant)   

Tall as a tree.                                    (Stand and stretch arms as high as possible)

Wide as a house.                                    (Stretch arms and legs out wide)

Thin as a pin.                                    (Jump body back, arms glued to body)

Small as a mouse. (x2)                           (Curl into small ball)

Movement is key to learning! The similes used employ the whole body – so it’s an effective way to bring a dose of gross motor after an period of inactivity. Repeat the chant more than once to wake up the body. Comparatives may also be used.

Per friend Allison Ashley:  To transition to lining up, end with “quiet as a mouse.”

Thanks for reading!

Please share your transitions chants and songs below in “Comments” or

email me: gardengoddess1@comcast.net.

I hope you’ll join me next month for musical musings.

Until then, happy singing!

Merit School of Music, Chicago

Call on Merit School of Music! Our onsite school is in the West Loop. We work in the schools throughout the area providing band, orchestra, percussion, choir, early childhood, and general music instruction with project based units including Recorder, Music and Storytelling and Songwriting. We do great work! YoYo Ma is a supporter!

Chicago Families

Please come to Merit’s Storytime sessions – the 2^nd and 4^th Mondays of the month. It’s free, fun, and facilitated by singers and storytellers Amy Lowe, Irica Baurer & me. Stories and songs start at 11am, and we end with instrument exploration and family networking. Storytime will continue through the summer months, so come on down!

The next session is July 27.

I am continually inspired by The Children’s Music Network (CMN) community. an international group of socially conscious musicians, educators, librarians, families, songwriters and good people, who “celebrate the positive power of music in the lives of children by sharing songs, exchanging ideas, and creating community.” Please visit CMN, and find a gathering in your region.

©2015 Brigid Finucane  * 847-213-0713 * gardengoddess1@comcast.net

http://prekandksharing.blogspot.com

@booksinger1

Blog History

June 2015. Summer Songs

May 2015.  Crescendo II! Chants & Games for Music Foundation

April 2015. Crescendo -And Sites to Sigh For: edWeb & CMN

March 2015. Piano and Forte! Songs and Books for Investigating Music Fundamentals

Feb.2015. Chinese New Year – Looking for Year of the Sheep & A Good Friend

Jan.2015. Multicultural Children’s Book Day - The Lions of Gir

Dec.2014. Singing a Storybook – Wintertime / A Winter’s Tale

Nov. 2014. Singing a Story – The Magic of Musical Books: Part II

Oct.2104. Singing a Story – The Magic of Musical Books: Part I

Sept. 2014. Educators Who Care, Share. Singers, Sites & Songs from the Heartland Part III: From the Midwest & Great Lakes Regions (Listening Locally)

Aug. 2014. Educators Who Care, Share. Singers, Sites & Songs – Part II: Midwest & Great Lakes (Listening Locally)          

July 2014. Educators Who Care, Share. Singers, Sites & Songs Part I: Midwest & Ontario (Listening Locally)

June 2014. Garden Lessons, Typographic Art Apps and Thank You Notes

May 2014. Spring! Songs, Chants & Apps to Welcome the Season

April 2014. Part II. Dancing, Singing & Drawing Legato and Staccato

March 2014. Part I. From “Hush Little Baby” to Yo-Yo Ma – Using Books, Apps and YouTube Videos to Introduce Legato and Staccato

Feb.2014. Pete Seeger – A Time to Thank

Jan.2014. Gung Hay Fat Choy! Stories, Books & Apps to Celebrate the Chinese New Year

Dec.2013. Singing Time! Embracing Appadiction

Gratitude (and Exhaustion!)

Teachers learning fingerplays!

 Happy Summer from Miss Carole of Macaroni Soup!
 To all who have faithfully come to PreKandKSharing on the 16th of each month - THANK YOU!  Today I am winging my way toward Johnson City, TN to Sing, Dance and LEARN through music with teachers and caregivers at the East Tennessee State University Early Childhood Conference on Friday and Saturday.  
  Last week I did four workshops at the SDE "I Teach K!" Conference in Las Vegas!  And there's lots more sharing and learning coming up in August!

SDE "I Teach K!" in Las Vegas - stretchy band fun!

 This month I don't have a song to share or dance to teach you - please page through one of the gazillion blogs I've written since this wonderful project started. Okay, maybe not a gazillion, but 44 blog posts is a lot for a person who had never read a blog, followed a blog or written a blog.    

 Thanks to Debbie Clement's immense patience in showing me the ropes, and for dreaming this up in the first place!  Thanks to all who have written to me, asked wonderful questions and even invited me to their schools, libraries and conferences. My job - sharing music, movement and sparking imagination is a privilage!

I can't wait to go back to school!  Crazy, huh?

    I will get back on track next month - I promise you songs to keep "back to school" humming in the key of FUN! 

Yours for a Song!
"Miss Carole" Stephens
Macaroni Soup! Active Music for Active Learners!